Improvement in tanning



hides for the removal of the hairs.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

It. ENOS AND B. T. HUNT, OF ST. CHARLES, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN TANNING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 9,624, dated March 22,1853.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROSWELL ENOs and BELA T. HUNT, of the town of St.Charles, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in the Art of Tanning Leathersuch as harness,belting, upper, kip, and calf-skins-of which the following is aspecification.

The nature of our invention consists in preparing a hide for the limeand liming it in the usual way: first, in not disturbing the lime in thehide by any process of hating in the usual way; second, in bringing theraw hide in contact with salt, sumac, bran, and tan while the hide isfull of lime, producing adesirable effect, it being superior to anyother known mode of tanning. Thepores of the hidebeing left open, inconsequence of the limes being left in, the salt, bran, and tan,together with the lime, act directly and rapidly with the gelatine ofthe hide, forming leather more expeditiously and perfect than any othermethod of tanning.

To enable others skilled in the art of tanning to use our improvement,we will describe our method of proceeding.

First, we lime in the usual way of liming Then put the hides into coldwater for one day, and work them twice on the grain with the knife orstone for the purpose of cleansing the grain of the fine hairs.

The hides being limed and cleansed, as described, make a liquor fortanning First. For fifty sides of upper-leather, two hundred gallonswater; two hundred pounds domestic sumac in bundle, twenty pounds salt;thirty pounds wheat bran; to be constantly handled for ten or twelvehours on the first day. This tanning process should be conducted at atemperature of 45 Second. For the second-dayliquor add thirty poundssumac; thirty-six pounds cutch, or extract of hemlock-bark; twentypounds salt; thirty pounds wheat-bran.

Third-day, handle four times.

Fourth day, add to the liquor as on the sec 0nd day, and handle well,and so continue to strengthen every day until tanned, which will takefrom twelve to fourteen days, according to weight of hides.

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ist The processof tanning with the use of lime, salt, bran, sumac, and catch, or anyother tanning in room ofcutch, substantially in the man ner described,whereby we commence tanning at the same time that we commence reducing,as the salt and bran overpower the lime, the tan takes the place of thelime, and converts the hides into more perfect leather, and in less timethan can be made in any other way.

Hides are not liable to get damaged by our process, as we do not use anarticle that is injurious to leather. It is not on the materials usedthat we claim Letters Patent, but on the manner of applying them 'to thehide, as set forth in the schedule;

. ROSWELL ENOS.

BELA T. HUNT. Witnesses:

A. S. VAN VORST, W. D. BARRY.

